This section provides background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the disclosure. It should be understood that the statements in this section of this document are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
A rotorcraft or rotary-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air flying machine that uses lift generated by wings called rotary wings or rotor blades that revolve around a mast. A conventional rotor blade includes a spar connected to a multi-piece afterbody forming an airfoil shape. The spar is the main structural member of the rotor blade and is designed to carry the primary centrifugal and bending loads of the rotor blade. FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a prior art rotor blade described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/033458. At the leading edge of the conventional rotor blade, a sheath 52 and an abrasion strip 56 are connected to the spar 40 and may encompass a foam filler 54. A multi-piece afterbody is connected to the spar and includes at least a separate core 66, a separate upper skin 62, a separate lower skin 68, and a separate trailing edge wedge member 64. The upper skin and lower skin are typically a thermoset material in the form of carbon composite layers. The upper skin and lower skin are adhered spanwise to the spar at separate connection points 42, 44. The upper and lower skins surround the core and the trailing edge wedge member. The joining of the upper skin to the lower skin at the trailing edge wedge member of the multi-piece afterbody creates a trailing edge with a thickness 46 comprised of at least the thickness of the material of the upper and lower skins and the bonding agent used to join them together. The core is typically a thermoset material in the form of a NOMEX® honeycomb structure disposed spanwise along the trailing edge of the spar. The upper and lower skins may transfer some shear loads in the beam direction to the spar at connection points 42, 44, while the NOMEX® material of the core does not transfer any load in the chord direction.